Inspirational injured serviceman Major Phil Packer has set off to climb El Capitan by doing over 4000 pull ups.

Major Packer of the Royal Military Police was expected never to walk again after suffering a spinal injury whilst serving on operations in Iraq in February 2008.  Now he is preparing to climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in California, USA.

Starting on Saturday 5 June, Major Phil Packer will aim to haul himself up the 1,800ft sheer rock-face of El Capitan by jumaring.  The ascent is the equivalent of 4,254 pull ups and it is expected that the climb will take 3 days.  He'll be climbing alongside Andy Kirkpatrick, Ian Parnell and Paul Tattersall.

You may have heard of Major Packer as in April he completed the London Marathon, having only taken his first unaided steps just 6 weeks earlier.  At a pace of 2 miles per day, the feat took him two weeks.

Since his original prognosis, Major Packer has undertaken a number of challenges including rowing across the English Channel. Now his sights are set on his final big fund-raising challenge - El Capitan.

Major Packer has already raised in excess of £1m for the charity 'Help for Heroes' which helps injured service men and women, and he hopes to inspire young people with disabilities and raise awareness of disability sport in the wider disabled community.

For more about Phil's challenge see www.philpacker.com

Media enquires to Kitty Henry KTB PR kitty@ktbpr.com US MOB: +1 917-640-7943 / UK MOB: +44 (0)7944 019302

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